Project Report

Presentation Boards

Final Outcomes

Project Proposal Revisited

I have looked back at my project proposal to try and evaluate whether I achieved the goals I set for my self. I have researched a illustrators from my original proposal looking at their use of composition, colour, shape and text. I have also read interviews to find out how they approach their work and interact with publishers. The target audience for my book has remained the same from beginning to end and so have my goals to create a "bold, fun, colourful picture book". My themes and subjects have remained the same, the aim of the book is to be enjoyable and engaging, able to teach life lessons without seeming overly educational or even preachy. I have not tested all the processes from my proposal, I aimed to experiment with screen as well as digital printing. as my illustrations developed I started to use more tones and colours which would have made it difficult to screen print. I could have screen printed individual elements of the book them digitally developed them into full page compositions however time constraints and poor planning lead me towards more accessible media. In the creative skills section of the proposal I talk about creating a full book experimenting with paper and cover materials. I did take part in the book binding class but did manage to illustrate the entire book in the time frame. I plan on finishing the book outside of this module. Even though I did not finish all the pages I should have researched paper types and looked more at cover materials used for children's books to expand my understanding of the processes involved in production.

As well as the illustrators I listed in my proposal I found a number of other through the course of this project whose work has helped to inform my practice both in terms of how they interact with publishers and approach brief and also the processes and methods they use to create their work.

Book Cover

I was reading through my feedback from the mega crit and a couple of people suggested making a book cover to finish off my project and better demonstrate how my illustrations would be applied to the product. This is very last minute but I think the suggestions are right and also the idea of a minimal cover would suit the contents/narrative of the book.

I made a cover an mocked it up using stock images to see how it would look. I didn't add a blurb to the back but I left space for it to be added my a publisher. I kept the cover simple using a white background the partially disguise the dog character to try and create intrigue when combined with the books title. I used colours from the pages of the book to make sure their is a consistent aesthetic and colour scheme. I want the book to be an appealing, high quality well designed product that is appealing just as a object as well as means to tell the story.

More Possible Applications

I enjoyed designing t shirts to be sold alongside the book and would like to expand the products to cushions and toys. I would need to look into getting the toys made but there are some children's book illustrators that sell high quality toys of the characters from their book such as Chris Haughton. He works with non profit organisations to make the his products creating high quality products ethically and helping communities in the process. I think this is a good example to show that you can create a successful business model providing quality products while being ethical and socially responsible. I would like to start collaborating with practitioners from other disciplines to create a variety of products using our combined skill sets.

Applications

I used stock images to apply my illustrations to products and show them working in the formats they have been designed for. The primary application of my illustrations is pages of a children's picture book. 5 of my illustrations are double page spreads, I chose these 5 pages to communicate important parts of the story so that the illustrations could be used to pitch the book to publishers. The sixth illustration is a front cover or poster that could be used to advertise the book.

The image shows how the double page spread would work as part of a book.

As well as the page designs I wanted to show how my illustrations could be applied to appropriate promotional and saleable materials. I wanted to find stock images to show products that are often sold alongside children's books such as clothing, toys, bags etc. I have designed and printed clothing in the past and still have an interest in it so mocked up 3 t shirts using illustrations from the book that I think would sell. I also mocked up some images of tote bags and paper bags that could be sold alongside/ or given away with the book itself to help advertise the main product.

Change of plan

I decided to work on a new page to replace the sleeping dogs page, I wasn't happy with the composition and after switching back to using white backgrounds the design I had made didn't really fit the aesthetic of the rest of the book. I wanted to illustrate the moment when the dog realises he definitely is not a polar bear, The dog goes to the zoo and meets a polar bear which is massive compared to him. I wanted to make the polar bear scary compared to the dog but still suitable for small children. I wanted to make sure the composition showed the size difference and needed to silhouette both the characters against the background.

Chris Haughton

Chris Haughton like Dieter Braun sells book through a range of retailers then sells a range of additional products through his website. His website contains a lot more information than the other I have looked at so far. He has pages dedicated to each of his books showing every page of the books so potential customers can get an rounded view of the book before purchasing. His site contains links to all the talks he has done and events he is taking part in and awards that he has won. All of the content shows how involved he is with creative communities. His site also contains a blog that allows him to keep his audience up to date with the projects he is working on and advertise events in a more personal way than simply posting an image of a poster.

Chris Haughton sells products featuring characters from his book that hand made by a non profit organisation that helps train and provide support for disadvantaged individuals in Nepal. His products promote the positive message of helping others. Quite often I see toys and merchandise made to run alongside a book release that consist of mass produced low quality toys and gifts. Chris Haughton my be limiting his market by working in the way his products are made, they are higher priced than most but also higher quality and organisation making them is centred around helping its workforce rather than cutting costs. Chris Haughton's market for these products will be fans of his work that are happy to spend the extra money for something of high quality and the knowledge that they have been part of a process than helps disadvantaged people.

I always think the way products are displayed can make a big difference to how we view the quality of them, if a companies website looks like it has had no effort put into it then have they put enough effort into their products. Photography seems to be a common issue, an illustrator could spend ages making a high quality crafted product then photograph it badly and put people off. In the same way when it is clear that a shop, illustrator or collective put in extra effort constantly updating their website and adding interesting or even interactive content it makes them and their work more appealing. Chris Haughton's site features a downloads page where users can download posters, colouring sheets, activity sheets, origami and recipe's.

He has made the text on the page dark blue which means it is not too bold, it does not break up the composition. He has said in interviews that his illustrations tell the story and the works are secondary. Most illustrators of children's books would make the text stand out more but I think working this way keeps the emphasis on the illustrations and make the book cover more appealing. the important information is still clear and easy to read but is not the focal point of the image.

Dieter Braun

Dieter Braun is an illustrator that is probably best known for his books. His books are sold in a wide range of retailers from large companies such as Amazon and Waterstones to small independent shops. He is represented by 'Kate Larkworthy Artist Representation' which is an international agency that represents a number of illustrators and artists. Being represented by an agency means that Dieter Braun can expand the reach of his work and client base, the agency can act as a go between introducing clients to practitioners. Similar to a collective the agency provides clients with somewhere to find a large range of practitioners capable of meeting their needs. If you are an illustrator just starting out the agency can provide a platform the showcase work to a large pre existing audience of possible clients in a professional setting.

Dieter Braun has his own website but does not sell his books from it, he does advertise them on the site but you would need to visit one of the many book shops that stock his work to buy them. What he does sell on the site is posters, prints and postcards of his illustrations. I don't know if he has a deal with his publisher where he can not sell them himself or whether its because he would effectively be action as competition for the book shops that stock his work. The book shops no doubt have a larger audience than his website and make a perfect setting to expand public knowledge of his work as they appeal to a more general audience who do not need to know about his work in advance. The illustrations from his site are made up of one of designs and images from his books. The high quality prints of illustrations from his books will appeal to fans of his work. I think this works as a process, the most likely way to find his work is in a book shop, then if you like the work you would visit his site and possible purchase a print from the book that you like. In this way his website can act as a separate range of products that appeal to a more specific group of people, people who are fans of his and are happy to spend the extra money to get a product of higher quality or with a personal touch (hand printed or signed).

 I like the use of silhouettes in this image to highlight characters and add depth and contrast. The dog in my illustrations needs to contrast enough with its surroundings to become the focal point of each page.

Mirror page

Today I have gone back to my illustrations and feel much happier about them and much more confident about where I want to take them.

This  was the page I was most concerned about switching back to a white background but the grey tones help to show the dog more clearly. I tried adding more detail to the mirror as well but felt it looked a bit busy and took the focus away from the dogs reflection. I am not happy with the pink speech bubble, I am going to work more on the text for all the pages once they are all finished.

Re-think

I talked to the tutors today and it really helped me get some perspective on my work. I had convinced my self I did not have time to finish adding textures and tones to my illustrations and was looking for ways to simplify the process. I was also panicking about whether what I had made was right for the brief and what my final illustrations would need to be. The submission briefing really helped me to clarify what I need to do and gave me confidence. I need to look more at where my practice fits within the creative industries and the applications for my work. I am going to look in more depth at how illustrators apply themselves. Getting feedback today also helped me make some final decisions about my work, I think I had been second guessing myself and over analysing the images. I have decided to go back to white backgrounds as the pages feel lighter and less claustrophobic. Having a white background also increases the used for the illustrations, they can be used as spot illustrations, t shirt designs and vinyl window displays to advertise the book.

Cropped

I have cropped down my illustration for the first page of the book to concentrate more on the character in the scene. I think the landscape still looks good and maintains its depth. I really liked to original but don't think it worked for the purpose of telling the story. The original image could still be used for the cover possibly.

Sleeping Dogs

This page is one of the turning points of the book as it is the point where the dog first starts to question his identity. I am not sure yet how to finish this composition. I thought about having the bed with the dogs quite small in the bottom right hand corner of the page to try and create that feeling of lying awake at night surrounded by darkness. The lettering could be quite large and bold on this page as it is the big moment of realisation. I have tried to keep a constant colour scheme even thought he page is much darker than the others by using darker tones of the same pink landscape. I think I should try the same illustration with blue to see if it seems more moody and gives a clearer feeling of being the middle of the night. I have illustrated the other dogs fairly close to the background colours so that the main dog character stands out on the page and also because him looking so different is one of the reasons he feels unsure if he belongs. I was thinking of having a range of tones in the background like light shining in through the window from a streetlight but I haven't used tones in that way on any of the other pages, I think I should still try it as it could really improve the image and add a sense of atmosphere.

Improvements?

I have revisited the page where the dog character is looking in the bathroom mirror questioning his identity. I felt that the composition was way too simple before and needed to be changed. I have been thinking about how to change the scene and decided I should only add elements that make sense for the scene and help to create a connection with the character. I decided to add a chair to the image for the dog to stand on and be able to see into the mirror. It is a simple addition but highlights the difference between scale he really is and how he is beginning to see himself. I like the idea of telling the story of him dragging the chair over to have a look in the mirror trying to discover his identity, it is a simple idea but I think small touches like this add to the connection between the reader and the character, adding a back story, however small, to the image.

The chairs also stops the composition form floating in the middle of the page.

Trying something different

I have been really struggling with this project over the last week, I have not liked anything I have worked on, Just before Easter I felt like I made a breakthrough but taking a break from the project to work on other modules meant I felt a bit lost when I came back to work on it. I tried something different to try and get back on track and find some inspiration.

This was based on an idea I had to help me show the dogs facial expression even though he was facing the polar bear. I liked the idea because it helped to show the size difference between them as well as creating a connection between the two characters. I am not happy with this piece, I think the aesthetic and character design is wrong for a children's book, the scene feels a bit edgy and uneasy. I think given the small amount of time I have left I need to revisit my previous designs and try to approach them from a fresh perspective to improve the compositions to concentrate more on character and narrative. I think the idea behind this composition is good but I rushed my development of it because I am worried about the deadline. Starting to try and develop new processes at this stage will be too stressful and cause me to rush my work too much.